Euphorbia sekukuniensis cyathia and spines

In this photo the cyathia of Euphorbia sekukuniensis are more spaced among the spine pairs than in the other picture presented. Two smaller, green, female cyathia flank the larger, yellowish male one in the centre of each horizontally positioned group of three. These groups occur with pale brown spine pairs above and below them on the four or five-angled wings of the green stems.

The three-lobed fruit capsules develop from the female cyathia in spring. They are nearly 1 cm in diameter, borne on longish stalks.

Slight constrictions at intervals of about 20 cm that persist on the stems indicate the breaks in the plant’s growing seasons. Branching, where found, tends to occur just above such constrictions, when new growth commences (Coates Palgrave, 2002).